My Aunt the Carnivorous Moose

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 52 - Let's get phsyio! Physio! I wanna get phsyio...

2012-02-21T13:16:00.001+11:00

Off to the physio (or if you're the autocorrect function of my computer, the 'psychic' - the US-based software can't cope with the Aussie love of abbreviating everything) again tonight.

The new guy I am seeing - new as in not the people I was seeing in Bondi Junction who were great but too far away - at Erko Physio has taken a back that 4 weeks ago was so wracked with pain that it took me 45 minutes to get off the bed to go to the physio. It was awful and he's brought me back from the brink.

I love having my back working properly again. Now to get back into the full swing of things again (which I am hoping will include swimming again which I miss!)

The fabulous Brett who saved my back

Naturally, of course, this post calls for cat pictures from the web! (OK it actually doesn't, but when has that ever stopped me before?)

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 51 - Lunch in my LEGO lunch box

2012-02-20T09:56:00.001+11:00

I finally brought lunch in the new LEGO lunch box my guy gave me as one of my gifts for Valentine's Day.

It is so cool and retro and fun.

I think even the salad that's in it is feeling frisky and playful.

LOVE IT.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 50 -

2012-02-19T22:38:00.000+11:00

Another farewell to Waz, this time at Smash Sausage Kitchen on King Street.

No Fahmi as he was at an Erykah Badu concert but the rest of the gang was there - Ian, Waz, Peter, my gorgeous guy Steve and I, the sausages were delicious, the food delish (oh the sticky date pudding was superb!) and the conversation and wine flowed liberally.

It was one of those perfect nights with friends and a wonderful way to send off Waz.

We'll miss him heaps.

My guy and Peter

Ian and I

Peter and Waz

My guy and me

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 49 -

2012-02-18T22:04:00.000+11:00

First up, after a luxurious sleeping, I returned my plates for storage to the RTA since I no longer have a car to put them on. They charge me $50 a year to put them on a shelf!

Then we took Fahmi to pick up his new bike from Cell Bikes on Parramatta Road, Stanmore (insanely hot - it's very own hellishly hot micro-climate.. Parramatta Road that is, not Cell Bike,s which was beautifully air conditioned), which he rode home...

Then I got a shot of my gorgeous nephew Bodhi riding his new bike at my parents' place...

Finished off with a delightfully non-rainy night at the Open Air Cinema. It was closing night so jazz band playing, free ice cream, and a night club atmosphere and fireworks afterwards (we stayed for about 1/2 hour). We think they were testing the waters for possibly doing the nightclub thing next year. We shall see. The movie, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, was quite touching and I loved it.

What I loved most though was sharing a romantic meal and some wine with my beautiful guy looking over to the Harbour. Just gorgeous. Gorgeous!

The official photo taken by the StGeorge photographer

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 48 - Perfectly wonderful TGIF ruts

2012-02-17T21:15:00.000+11:00

Some ruts are good.

Specifically the ruts involving champagne/white wine, great friends - in this case, Fahmi, Waz and Ian - my gorgeous guy and either pizza, or tonight in the spirit of not clogging our arteries, burgers (healthy self-made ones with loads of vegetabley goodness!)

Do it all on a balmy breezy Summer's night out on the balcony.

Bliss.

Waz drinks LOTS... just kidding

Fahmi's fabulous dessert

To Waz - he's off to Perth for 4-6 months work. We will him (although he's back every second weekend).

More toasting!

More calories!

TGIF funnies

2012-02-17T08:44:00.000+11:00

This fabulous one off George Takei's Facebook page

As is this one.

And this one

Ambiguity report maybe tumblr

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 47 - Loudly yelled Japanese phrases!

2012-02-16T20:00:00.000+11:00

My guy got back to town, tired after negotiating delays on both the roads leading across the Blue Mountains and so we had a simple dinner of sushi in Newtown.

Yummy on all levels.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 46 - The celebrity ghosts of Valentine's Day past

2012-02-15T17:30:00.000+11:00

Yesterday in fact!

Here in order of receipt (so I am not playing favourites) are Ken Jeong's (Community), Jeri Ryan's (Star Trek Voyager, Body of Proof), and Joel McHale's (Community and The Soup) contributions to the fun of Valentine's day.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 45 - Valentine's Day far away

2012-02-14T16:30:00.000+11:00

Well actually it was quite close being a date and all it's hard not to be in it up to your eyeballs.

But my guy, my love, was away in Bathurst.

But before he left, I got to wake up with him, and get him a hug and kiss (that's all thank you all ye with active imaginations... or is that just me?) before he drove off to far flung country lands...

We started making up silly names for the day. We were greatly amused.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 44 - My early Valentine's

2012-02-13T19:30:00.000+11:00

With my gorgeous guy away for the big day itself - yes I know it's a manufactured day but who cares? - he came over for dinner (late poor thing after an extra long day at work so we were only having entrees at 8.30-ish) and we celebrated again, a little early.

While we watched a double episode of the awesomely good new show, Alcatraz (it premiered that night), we ate delicious camembert cheese on crackers with basil and parmesan dip on top. Yum. Followed by salmon with mango/chilli/coriander/lime salsa on it with broccoli and butternut pumpkin on the side.

Then while we watched the hilarious new episode of Absolutely Fabulous, we ate ice-cream with cupcakes (chocolate marshmallow, coconut red velvet, strawberry) and snuggled into each other.

Oh and yes there was exchanging or presents. My darling man got me the two most beautiful Orrefors crytsla champagne flutes with dark blue teardrops in them. Exquisite. Plus a very cool, funky red Lego lunchbox. Fun! My gifts were quite as high class, I'm afraid, but I gave these red and white romantic coffee mugs, a cute little teddy bear, and season five of Family Guy. Thankfully he loved it!

Damn near perfect night? Yep another one. But always with him. He makes them perfect. (Hey, its valentine's Day, I am allowed to be mushy thank you.)

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 43 - It's a Fair Day!

2012-02-12T19:18:00.000+11:00

Fair Day once again. My how time flies!

Once again this year, no costumes or tent decorating and not even the usual gang - Bill, Ian, Brett etc. Unfortunately, life is too busy to get a design organised, and all the work done to make sure the tent looks amazing and we are bedecked in our thematic finest.

So Waz, Ian, my gorgeous guy and I arrived at Fair Day at 10.30, nice and early with out beautiful blue sky above us. After weeks of squally, cold, rainy weather, today was a picture perfect day - lots of sunshine, with the predicted thunderstorm arriving mid afternoon, when we were well gone. Even so, it didn't amount to much really, and the sun came back out and I am assuming Fair Day went on regardless.

We had a fun time. There were some new stalls this year. I managed not to buy anything but water despite a stall selling some very cool artwork. We managed to look at all the stalls, see some seriously cute men, found Fahmi at the dunking area where his team was raising funds between 11-12 (my ball throwing skills have not improved since high school I discovered, and they didn't recruit me for the team...quelle surprise!), run into Steve's good friend Che (pron. Shay), John S and his kids, Ben and Sophie, Steve M, and Luke & David at the Big Blue Tarp which is always fun. (I had to say goodbye to my beautiful man at 12.15 as he had to get to his Australian Chamber Orchestra concert which happened to fall on the same day. That's why we started early but it worked out well since we saw everything before the crowds went manic and the weather turned ugly.)

In short, we did a LOT. It was a lot of walking and by 1.30 we'd had enough, as had my back, and we walked down King Street to grab lunch at Moo burgers with the storm getting ever darker above us. Thankfully we made it back to Ian's car and I got into my unit just before the rain came down.

Perfect timing on a near perfect day.

Steve & Waz

It may be a muscle suit but gosh damn he's sexy

Ian and Waz

My gorgeous guy and I

Our contribution to an artist's installation - origami hearts.

Walking down past the stalls

Cute Newtown policeman took our photo to put on Facebook

Funky police car (with Ian)

More policeman shots

Steve & I contributed to the field of hearts this year.

Steve and his friend Che (pron. Shay)

This guy made taking up wrestling look very attractive

Look up boys!

John S, Steve and Waz

Sophie & Ben

Fahmi touting for ball throwers for the dunking tank

Alas I didn't hit the target and dunked no one

Fahmi chatting up the twinks

So they had padding in their briefs - still yummy as...

Steve S and Waz

Steve, Ian, Steve S and Waz

I promise to trust and respect both of them

David and Luke on their Big Blue Tarp

David with Luke & Jeremy's dog, Lottie

Waz, David and I

Yummy guy at Leather Pride

And again with zip running down the back of the shorts

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 42 - Early Valentines Day

2012-02-11T22:00:00.000+11:00

Sadly my gorgeous guy is going to be away in Bathurst on Valentines Day itself so we decided to mark the occasion - save for the gifts which will be exchanged either the night before, or very early on the morning of before he leaves for Bathurst - by having...

Drinks at Coopers hotel (King Street) in the old bar downstairs where we scored seats right on the window and drank our wine.

Then we went to see The Artist at Dendy Cinemas which was magical, amazing and a joy to watch. I have never been so totally absorbed in a movie as I was with this one. Well not for a long time. (Thankfully we bought the tickets early because when we went to go into the session, after buying our yummy Serendipity chic top ice creams naturally, the line stretched out of Dendy onto the street! Crazy!) Holding my guy's hand also makes any movie a joy to watch.

The movie got out at 8.50 and by 9pm we were seated outside at Delhi o Delhi, my favourite Indian restaurant in Sydney. The food is always superb, the service is attentive and friendly without being overbearing and it's fun to watch the world go by on Erskineville Road. We had a beautiful romantic night together. It was the perfect Valentines Day. Perfect.

No not desserts... deserts... sandy yummy goodness.

Turns out they had dessert after all. Galub jamun deliciousness! Bliss...

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 41 - More mixed bag goodness

2012-02-10T23:00:00.000+11:00

TGIF and the bag was still mixed which is a very good thing since bland uniformity isn't a lot of fun. Yes, yes, I know I expect overarching themes to emerge (see yesterday) but I abhor a day without any bumps and bruises, and weird detours you weren't expecting.

Nothing weird today but we did have cupcakes and luminously coloured lamingtons and champers Pats to accompany an afternoon brainstorming session at work. If you have to have a meeting on a Friday, then this is the only way to do it - alcohol and glow in the dark food. It made for a very productive meeting. No, really, lots of ideas. More than you'd get with say tofu and a chaser of water...

Then on the way home I got this gorgeous shot of the loveliest niece and nephew in the world waiting to go on a theme park ride - Wiggle Bay at Dreamworld Water Park. They are so devoted to each other.

And finally yes dinner out on King Street again. This time yummy gourmet sausages at Smash Sausage Kitchen with Fahmi and my gorgeous guy, and some yummy Swedish cider that we must have more of and soon! Then we picked up some dessert pastizzis and decamped to Waz's place for champers Pats, pastizzis and late night conversation.

Perfect TGIF night! More please...

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 40 - Mixed Bag!

2012-02-09T16:00:00.000+11:00

Today was quite the mixed bag of things with no real theme. (Is there ever really a theme? This is life so it's not like an episode of my favourite TV show; and yet I expect some overarching them to emerge... I think I watch too much TV)

First, Rose (at work) got a PR gift (we get them all the time) which included Valentines Day candy - I randomly selected one and got "Blue Eyes" which is tres apropos since I do, in fact, have blue eyes. Eerie... or not...

Then I got a text from Optus telling me they'd discontinued my staff wireless broadband plan - I ceased to be a member of staff three months so way to not process things guys! - and replaced it with a $29.95 per month 4 Gb plan that naturally I would have to pay for. The problem here? When I filled out my termination form, I didn't ask for a replacement plan! Lord knows why they decided I wanted one but it took many phone calls to get it killed off, which is typical of a company with more layers of bureaucracy than a totalitarian state.

And finally, my guy came back from Bathurst after four days away and apart from quite a lot of overdue hugs and kisses, we had dinner at our favourite Turkish eatery on King Street, Matee, where the service was sweet but scatter-brained and the food delicious.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 39 - Great night at Spiders group!

2012-02-08T19:53:00.000+11:00

I finally made it to my writers group tonight!

They had already met twice this year but thanks to having to meet with my insurer on one Wednesday and Open Air Cinema tickets on the next, this was the night I made and it was so good to see everyone! I'd missed them. I had lovely long involved chats with Nick, Kris, Selina, and Jacq who, it turns out, loves much of the same music I do!

I even wrote the first 680 words of a story I had no intention of writing when I got there but which flowed out of me during the 1/2 hour quiet writing time between 7 and 7.30.

The only slight problem was Cityrail delaying my train by 15 minutes but I made it home in time for Outland, a new ABC comedy about gay sic-fi nerds which I adored. (My review is here.)

Oh and the photo is of Circular Quay and the Harbour which frankly made the longer than expected wait at Circular Quay station a whole lot more bearable.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 38 -

2012-02-07T14:00:00.000+11:00

After almost two weeks of no exercise so my back could recover, I went walking tonight.

Admittedly for only about 5km, 2km less than normal but it was a good walk even so and I felt all the better for doing it. Hopefully after my physic session this Friday night, I will have the go ahead to get back to normal exercise and life can take on a semblance of its former self.

No, trust me, I didn't walk this fast!

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 37 - Yum Cha and the lightness of MSG being

2012-02-06T13:31:00.000+11:00

Fun lunch at work today!

It was Tracy's birthday some weeks back but this was the first chance we had to get together as a team for the traditional birthday Yum Cha.

It was delicious and a great way to spend 1 1/2 hours in the middle of a busy Monday. (Bar the weird floaty MSG after effects we got from, we think, the honey prawns.)

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 36 - Chilled day in Dulwich Hill

2012-02-05T13:38:00.000+11:00

While my gorgeous guy worked hard on a project he needed to complete, I sat at his dining room table and wrote a series of blog posts on my other blog sparklyprettybriiiight.com, took a lovely long nap and read.

Then we decamped to my place for a chicken and chips dinner and the third episode of New Girl, which was quirkily wonderfully funny.

A lovely day.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 35 - With Ellen, Tracy, John and Susie and my guy

2012-02-04T22:55:00.000+11:00

It's been far too long!

What for you ask? To catch up with the old gang from The Shire, where I lived for 17 years before moving to Erskineville. So tonight, my gorgeous guy and I headed down the highway to Miranda, and had the most relaxed dinner with long time friends John and Susie, and housemates, Ellen and Tracy. They provided the pastizzis and dips and cheese for entrees, we made the chicken and beef burgers (two separate types in case you thought we had a weird mix on the go there!), and John and Susie brought along the most delicious orange chocolate cheesecake.

So while the night wasn't great for my waistline, it was great for seeing friends I love being with.

Oh, and we got to see Ellen's new kitchen which is beautiful!

Mickey Mouse capsicum. Yay!

John and Tracy deep in conversation.

Susie and my gorgeous guy, Steve.

Tiger rolls and multi grain, well just multi grain rolls.

YUMMMMMM!!!

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 34 - TGIF - Always Unforgettable

2012-02-03T13:36:00.000+11:00

Off to the Opera House tonight for a Natalie Cole concert. As Miranda's mother would say - "Such fun!"

It's Fahmi's Christmas present to my gorgeous guy and me, and while the artist in question was supposed to be a surprise, when half your friends are going and you get the Opera House emails then it isn't too hard to put 2 and 2 together and get a big bright shiny 4!

She was superb - her voice crystal clear, her smile dazzling and warm, and her stage presence, while not energetic, was rich and involving. She was on stage for a full two hours and frankly I didn't notice the time go by at all.

Here's my full review.

It was a truly wonderful night and a fabulous Christmas gift. Thanks Fahmi!

TGIF animals fun! (Extinct or otherwise)

2012-02-03T11:02:00.002+11:00

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 33 - Fistful of zzzzz's

2012-02-02T14:47:00.001+11:00

Learning to sleep on my side, after 40 plus years of sleeping on my stomach is proving a challenge. I am waking up multiple times a night and only really deeply sleeping for the first 3 hours or so when I am so tired that my need to sleep outweighs any discomfort I feel.

It's like being on a never ending international flight where I cannot get comfortable and hence, cannot sleep. I am sure I will adjust in time - I have to since the continued health of my back depends on it - but right now the impaired sleep is playing havoc with my ability to concentrate at work, focus on what needs doing generally in my life, and relax.

I can only pray my body eventually adjusts and all is sweet.

I will take any opportunity to use cat pictures to illustrate a blog and today is no exception....

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 32 -

2012-02-01T14:39:00.000+11:00

I have a new office chair.

It's ergonomic supports my back and my wonderful boss got it for me without me even asking.

My back loves it and thanks her.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 31 - At the movies!

2012-01-31T22:29:00.000+11:00

First night at the Open Air Cinema for the season after having to miss last Wednesday thanks to my back which at that point was acutely painful. I couldn't move let alone sit in a seat.

Today was much better, save for a little rain that the fetching white plastic ponchos took care of nicely.

They'd expanded the food area so more room for tables, expanded bar area, but all the same views and thankfully my beloved fish and chips! We drank lots of wine, had our yummy ice cream cookies, looked out on the Harbour. Gloriously beautiful as always.

The movie was awesome - Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol... here's my review - and my back survived nicely thanks to the thoughtfulness of my beautiful man who brought a rolled up towel for me to wedge in the small of my back. The seats were still manifestly uncomfortable - that hadn't changed nor has the opening music as the screen is lifted - but at least my back survived mostly intact.

I am grateful that my friend Fahmi parked the car nearby - he had a bad leg, I had a bad back - so the walk there was minimal and so thankfully was the drive home.

An awesome night with great friends at a spectacular venue.

Walking to Mrs Macquarie's Chair

Ian and Warren

My gorgeous guy and I

My gorgeous guy, Fahmi and me

Love my fish n chips!

Bread and wine... how holy of me

LOVE the view!

I was determined to eat the chips! (Fahmi sent this shot to his friends in Singapore to show them what they're missing).

The new bar area (Waz in the corner of the shot)

Best ice cream cookies EVER!

Dusk falls over the food tent

Movie boring? Check out the view!

Stephen M with his fetching poncho and Fahmni already decked out

The movie begins... and so does the rain

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 30 -

2012-01-30T14:35:00.000+11:00

Home again with my back giving me grief. Sigh...

I did manage to do some work from home for about 3 hours so caught up on some of the backlog which was a relief.

Spent the rest of the day flat on my back which included a nap and watching the rest of Community season 2 which ended with the best two part paintball finale EVER.

I am looking forward to ending the enforced incarceration in my apartment (apart from physic I haven't left the place in six days) and returning to civilisation tomorrow.

Community gets their paintball on!

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 29 (Sunday 29 January) - The Blue Blue Skies of Home

2012-01-29T08:43:00.000+11:00

Gloriously blue skies today. Just beautiful.

A perfect day to sit on the balcony and contemplate life.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 28 - Chilling at home - AGAIN!

2012-01-28T18:45:00.000+11:00

Quiet day today - blogging, napping (after a sleep in till 10.45 a.m., which happens when you sleep badly during the night - I don't usually sleep on my back and sides so my sleep is very restless - I long to sleep on my stomach again) and watching a little TV, and dinner with my gorgeous guy and Fahmi at my place (yes who'd have guessed that would be the location for housebound Andrew?).

The big event today, far from us, was my Nanna's 99th birthday party at Mum and Dad's in Alstonville. My sister Helen made a gorgeous looking birthday cake for for Nanna, which my sister Rachel texted me.

I also got two new pics of Rachel's son, and my nephew, Bodhi. He's gorgeous!

His first face painting!

Playing on his new drum set

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 27 (Friday 27 January) - More Physio, More Rest

2012-01-27T17:05:00.000+11:00

After a day of being once house bound, save for a quick trip to the physio in the morning (my gorgeous guy drove there and back and so sweetly waited while I was massaged, gently pummelled and heat-packed by Brett... felt so much better afterwards), I thought it'd be fun to have an impromptu pizza and champagne night with the gang.

Ian and Fahmi were otherwise engaged - sister's birthday dinner and a play respectively - so it was Waz, Peter, my gorgeous guy and me on the balcony on a surprisingly cool night (well cooler than turning into liquid humidity anyway!) for Alberto's pizza (satay chicken XL, supreme XL and a free Margarita XL... so you know just a little pizza) - lots of wine too and great conversation...

... and me in my high backed chair looking vaguely silly. But who cares? The back behaved itself mostly (although it got way worse overnight for reasons I can't determine... no one is allowing me to do anything so how it could be further hurt is beyond me)

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 26 (Australia Day - Thursday 26 January) - Aussie Aussie Aussie! Pie Pie Pie!

2012-01-26T18:00:00.000+11:00

We were going to go to Marrickville for our yearly multicultural Oz Day extravaganza of fun and fireworks with John, Essie, the kids, and Fahmi but thanks to the back, and my physio's edict that the only walking I could do was around my apartment, we had to stay home.

We did have a little Australia Day fun though. My gorgeous guy picked up Four and Twenty party pies, and added to pastizzi and sausage rolls in the fridge, and lashing of "Dead Horse" (tomato sauce), we had a ball, with my housemate Aidan, watching episodes 8 & 9 of Once Upon a Time, the premiere episode of The Killing, and episodes of Modern Family and Big Bang Theory.

It wasn't a multicultural fiesta but it was a great way to spend the day.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 25 -

2012-01-25T16:39:00.000+11:00

I cannot move.

I seriously cannot move.

I have had a sore lower back before and it's been painful especially when the spasms hit. But this is the first time I haven't been able to move, when even walking has triggered spasms. When realising that getting something from across the room, or even simply getting up is going to result in a whole works of pain.

It's demoralising. I have worked long and hard to eat right and exercise and my body keeps deteriorating. I know we all joke about getting older but this isn't funny. It's extraordinarily painful. I have lost my car and now I cannot even move around and do what I want to do.

It's been an awful painful nasty day.

I can only hope the Physio will have some effect at 2pm. (Aly, the office manager, is a absolute delight. So warm and friendly so I have high hopes just based on how lovely she is.)

P.S. Waz ended up driving me, the physio, Brett of Erko Physio was awesomely good but my back was so bad (I spasmed multiple times getting on and off the table) that he did some work to alleviate the pain but sent me home to do nothing but either lie down or sit in a high backed dining room chair.

No bending, twisting, reaching, anything. Oh what fun!

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 23 (Monday 23 January) - Crazy funnies for a Monday

2012-01-24T08:43:00.000+11:00

Crazy busy but fun day at work and this seems to be the perfect antidote to it. (Back was crazy sore too and even though I managed a walk with my friend Waz tonight around Sydney Park, it was only through the grace of physic exercises and Aspro Clear!)

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 23 (Monday 23 January) -

2012-01-23T18:20:00.000+11:00

Rambo the Dog (my boss Valerie's much-loved pooch) came into work today.

He is so cute, and a great work companion. (Save for the farts, of which for some reason, there were many today)

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 22 (Sunday 22 January) -

2012-01-22T18:16:00.000+11:00

My gorgeous guy and I went to see Women on the 6th Floor at Cinema Paris in the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. It was as great as expected, and we stopped off at Maya restaurant for thalis (a selection of small servings of various curries, raita etc) for dinner on the way there.

Mango lahsi

A really lovely and romantic date night.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 21 (Saturday 21 January) - Zzzzzz

2012-01-21T17:09:00.000+11:00

Brunch at Noemi's Cafe in Sydney Park with Waz on a very rainy day ( we decided at that point to not go to Symphony in the Domain later that day; of course it fined up into a beautiful night!) - service slow but food great and we saw a pimped up purple car parked out on the street. So cool!

So instead of heading into the City, we went to Newtown - Stephen Moore, Fahmi and John Piccles, my gorgeous guy and me - to see the delightful film Hugo with dinner at cheap and cheerful Chinese restaurant, Happy Chef afterwards. A fabulous night out!

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 20 -

2012-01-20T08:38:00.000+11:00

Today the money from the insurance pay out on the car writeoff went into the bank.

While it is good to have it all resolved, I am extremely sad that the car has gone to auto god.

I know it's just a car but as I've said before, it enabled so much of my life to happen, and I have only just realised how much it meant to me.

RIP Fido. You will be missed. I hope parts of you go on to a new wonderful life somewhere.

In honour of Fido, here's some very funny car fails to lighten the mood...

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 19 - Wedding gift

2012-01-19T13:57:00.000+11:00

The very lovely Maydah from the cafe in our building is getting married on Saturday and so we gave her a lovely wedding gift bag to tell her how much we love her and wish her the very happiest of days.

She loved it and we all got hugs. Noice.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 18 (Wednesday 18 January) - Farewell Fido

2012-01-18T17:25:00.000+11:00

Today I said my final goodbyes to my car.

I know that those of you less sentimentally inclined might think it odd, but I am an emotional being, and while material things per se don't matter so much, it's what they're linked to, have become a part of, that matters greatly to me.

My car wasn't just a car. It was the vehicle I drove myself to and from FedEx in for years. That I bought shiny new one Saturday morning only to have to use it Saturday afternoon to clear as much as I could out of my room at a friend's place when their marriage broke up. It's how I collected multiple people from the airport, including dear friends like Kerry and Jason, and in which I dropped them back there bidding them sad farewells. It's the car in which Kerry and I belted out, and recorded on my iPhone mind you, Lipstick by Jedward at the 2011 Eurovision in the rooftop car park of Marrickville Metro. And it's where my gorgeous guy and I had lots of lovely chats we drove to and from just about everywhere.

Fido wasn't just a car. He was how my life happened in lots of ways, and while it's quite possible I can survive without a car for a while thanks to GoGet and public transport, I will miss the places my car could take me. I will miss jumping in the car, thinking for the 1000th time that I should have cleaned him, and wondering if today is the day I should removed my 90s era Powermac from the boot. I will miss having a car that ran well, didn't cost me a fortune (except at registration time and frankly I will be happy to have that $2000 back in the kitty) and was mine. It surprised me how much I liked my car. I didn't think I did really since I am not a car person really, but when it was taken from me, I suddenly missed it terribly and realised I liked it far more than I'd realised.

I am glad then that I got to say goodbye to Fido today. I had been told he'd already been taken to Milperra to be pulped but when I arrived at the assessment centre in Alexandria, he was still there and I was so happy! It made seem bizarre to those less sentimental than me, but it meant a lot to say goodbye to my car. I thanked him for all the lovely memories, took some final photos including of me in the car, took one last look and walked away.

Goodbye Fido. It guts me that I had to choose a write off payment over you but I had to make the best of a nasty situation and sadly that involved letting my car go.

I am sorry it had to end this way.

This was supposed to be a smile. I am not sure what it is exactly.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 17 (Tuesday 17 January) -

2012-01-17T08:34:00.000+11:00

Today we found out from the mechanic that we had asked to quote for repair of the car - presuming we decided to throw in a second quote - that while they could come in under the write off threshold, that it simp,y wouldn't be worth spending all that money fixing a 15 year old car.

So I was left with the dilemma - let my heart rule and save the car regardless of cost or be horribly pragmatic and let money be the deciding factor.

I know what I should decide, and what I likely will decide but can't bring myself to make that final awful decision...

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 16 (Monday 16 January) -

2012-01-16T10:34:00.000+11:00

I spent today, thanks to my gorgeous guy who went to an enormous amount of trouble to research my options, agonising about what to do with my car.

What the VERO call rep failed to mention when they called me on Friday telling my car had been written off was that I did have options. I could choose to cancel the claim and take the car back, get a second quote, or just go with the write off.

There has been much to think about. My struggle is that I want my heart to rule and save my car, but the reality is I need to look at what the impact will be financially.

I feel like Solomon weighing up two impossible options... keep my lovely Fido or say goodbye.

Not Fido but the same make, year and colour.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 15 (Sunday 15 January) -

2012-01-15T16:30:00.000+11:00

Today I finally packed away all the Christmas stuff.

I had pulled the tree down during the week one night while I watch two episodes of Eureka - yes I think I missed the whole point of chilling and relaxing and watching my favourite TV show - and mostly organised things neatly around, not in, the red and green boxes I used to store things. So today it all got re-sorted (after many years of me just packing things into the nearest box) so all the tinsel is together in one box with the baubles and lights - no searching through 10 boxes to find it all! - and all the ornaments without boxes were all in bubble wrap and together.

It was feat of massive reorganisation my friends, and helped greatly by a Darrell Lea milk chocolate reindeer that lost its life to make it all happen. He died a good death.

(Oh and by the way a great way to lose weight. I sweated like there was no tomorrow!)

Once showered, I made up a new dish - Paprika Chicken on Quinoa (a South American protein that is a protein not a carb so I love it!) - and it actually turned out really well. Not that I thought that at first since I was in a bit of a funk over the car and everything looked less than pretty as a result. Turns out it tasted good, and everyone (my gorgeous guy and my house mate Aidan) loved it.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 14 (Saturday 14 January) -

2012-01-14T15:14:00.000+11:00

Delicious Yum Cha at Marigold in the City to celebrate my friend's Tracy birthday with my gorgeous guy and Ellen.

Then downtown to where Ellen works to see the new amazing eco-friendly building the company she works for has moved into. The views are amazing, the lifts are all glass so going up 15 floors in a lift is a complete trip, and it's all very funky and modern. We did a photo shoot of sorts on these curving stairs that link two floors.

Fabulous day.

We got Tracy shower cap (a long running joke which also required a quick dash into Market City to get a gold gift thingy) and the first season of Big Bang Theory.

Ellen went to the trouble of saving a caramel slice for us to share. YUM!

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 13 - Pizza and Wine Baby!

2012-01-13T13:34:00.000+11:00

After all my talk about the joys of healthy eating and exercise yesterday - today I eat pizza, drink wine and have chocolate! Oh yum! YUM! Great TGIF present to me.

Even better my guy is coming home today so I get to see him! Yay!!

SAD NEWS - I got the call today that my car is being written off. It came days earlier than I'd expected, and frankly left me feeling quite upset. Yes, I cried. It may seem silly to cry about a car but it represents so much of my life. 15 years of going everywhere in it - lots happened in it from having to move in a hurry in 1997 (on the day I got it actually!) when the couple I was living with's marriage collapsed in spectacular style to driving up and down to my mum and dad's a few times to going on dates with my lovely guy. It is a repository of memories and that's why its loss upsets me so much.

I have little recourse to it being written off as under a new NSW law passed in August last year, any car under 15 years is deemed to be a statutory write-off and can only be put back on the road with the RTA's say so, and only after applying in writing to them. My car is 14 3/4 so if the theft had happened in three months I would have been fine! I could have negotiated if my car was older but given its age my options are limited to none. It's this loss of control that angers me most - all the hassle, expense and so on, and I have no way to influence it at all.

It's left a stew of emotions and frankly if I could get those thieves why Id... well this cat sums it up nicely...

Thanks to Rose at work for this gem.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 12 - So healthy I am glowing

2012-01-13T13:29:00.001+11:00

Well not exactly but that would be really cool right?

No, what I am in fact is thrilled that I am finally back on a dedicated exercise and healthy eating regimen. It's taken months to get back into the swing but even though I loved Christmas and New Year, the excess consumption finally motivated me to get back to low calorie eating (with a few exceptions like tomorrow's night's pizza and wine with the boys, and Saturday's Yum Cha for Tracy's birthday) and proper exercise.

While I didn't exercise today thanks to sleeping in this morning and some shopping at JB Hi-Fi World Square tonight - where I got the awesomely healthy and yummy salads in the picture - I had swum on Sunday and Tuesday, and power walked Monday and Wednesday nights with my friend Waz around Sydney park (just under 6km each time). The plan is to swim at least once on the weekend and then get back to walking EVERY week day morning from here on in.

Pumpkin and couscous salad at the top, pumpkin and chickpeas in the middle and Persian Rice (wild rice + almonds + sultanas) at the bottom)

I love how I feel when I am toned and in shape. I feel far better and power through life with much more enthusiasm than if I eat crap and sit around. Admittedly I love junk food so giving it up isn't easy - especially with a pantry still full of chocolate etc - but definitely worth it. Besides, if you do without something most of the time, you appreciate it all the more when you do have it.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 11 - Day of auto reckoning

2012-01-11T12:22:00.002+11:00

I am leaving work at 3pm today to go to Mascot and do what my insurer charmingly calls a Theft Markup. Another step in the possible death or repair of my car Fido.

Nervous but I will see what happens before I invoke too many nerves...

P.S. The assessor turned out to be a lovely guy. Business-like yes but also very approachable and friendly and he let me explain (for once I didn't over explain!) why I'd love to keep the car if at all possible. I told him that I barley use, that it runs well, and if it could be returned to me, I'd be very happy. Of course, there are no guarantees but I am cautiously optimistic than it can be saved.

Big thanks to my wonderful friend Waz for driving me there and providing moral support. Hugely appreciated as my gorgeous guy was in Bathurst for work and couldn't be there even though he really wanted to.

Latest shots of my darling nephew Bodhi and niece Zara

2012-01-11T12:09:00.002+11:00

Bodhi playing the drums. I wonder how thrilled his parents are with the gift? (Which by the way did not come from me!)

Zara tenderly holds her cousin's hand as they walk through a mall on the Gold Coast at the end of a very social two weeks with family.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 10 - Gorgeous sunset

2012-01-11T12:01:00.001+11:00

The sunset tonight was gorgeous. Stunning and provided the perfect backdrop to a relaxed night of Big Bang Theory viewing and salmon with salad and mango/lime/chilli/coriander salsa. (Shots taken from my balcony looking out to neighbouring building, Zenix.)

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 9 - Will my car go to be with auto Jesus or can I save it?

2012-01-09T10:41:00.002+11:00

Today I find out if my car lives.

Or dies.

I am a nervous wreck.

P.S. False alarm. Turns out all they did was...nothing. It sat at the tow truck drivers yard all day. It's due to go to Taren Point - yes way down in The Shore tomorrow, which I am not happy about it since it's nowhere near me and at some point I have to check it out.

Monday cheer up funnies

2012-01-09T10:32:00.002+11:00

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 8 - I cleaned to get control

2012-01-08T17:57:00.001+11:00

Yes I did.

Feeling completely violated and angry by the theft of my car, I suddenly needed to clean up my room, and start tidying things. I knew exactly why I was doing it but since it didn't involve 'cutting', excessive calorie consumption (although the white chocolate bear I got for Christmas from my gorgeous guy's mum did lose its life rather quickly mid afternoon) or graffiti of public spaces, I went ahead and let the impulse take me where it wanted.

By the end of the cleaning binge, lots of financial papers (the ones on the bed) were neatly sorted, I have things sorted out into easy to file piles and the bedroom look much tidier. I even started pulling down the Christmas decorations on the cupboards, doors and bookcases resulting in this brightly-coloured Christmas plush toy funeral pyre.

Time to tackle the tree which goes drown tomorrow night...

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 7 - The day my car drove off with another

2012-01-07T17:25:00.001+11:00

Today was not a good day.

I was angry.

Very angry.

On the first day of the weekend.

When I should be sleeping in, eating a long and lazy brunch with my partner, doing the quiz in the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend magazine.

But instead, I am angry. In shock. Exhausted.

I had been woken up by a call from the police (via my housemate when they went to our apartment; I was at my partner's) at 8.55 to tell me my car had been taken for a joyride (and not the kind Roxette had in mind) and dumped a few kilometres away in Marrickville, with the engine running, sides scraped, and the steering column ripped to shreds.

But it couldn't be! I had left on the same street I had parked on safely for three years. Nothing had ever happened to it. So of course I fully expected it to be there this morning. But according to the very friendly but grave constables from Marrickville Police station it wasn't.

The police-issued gloves so I could pick up anything in the car that didn't belong to me in the hope it would belong to the thieves and provide more evidence. In the end, the only stuff in the car was mine.

A sorry fingerprint-dust covered car.

It looked like I hadn't washed it after a drug-fueled outdoor party.

Hard up against the wall (think the police, or the lovely guys from the factory next door who reported the car to police, had to do this to get it out of the lane way; the thieves didn't go to a lot of trouble to park it properly let's just say).

Sadly this mess in the back seat is all mine.

So much fingerprinting dust.

They made a total mess of the steering column when they hot-wired the car.

Dust all over my stereo (I had detached the stereo front for the first time in months and I can't even tell you why).

It was instead rammed up against a grey Besser brick wall in a tight back alley of an industrial road, door open, with my rego papers strewn around it. Oh, and covered with white finger printing dust that made it look like a bus full of high flying professionals had done unending lines of cocaine on it.

It was, in short, a violated, broken mess and not where I had left it all a scant 12 hours before.

So yes suddenly I was angry, in shock, trembling.

My rational adult brain told me told get it together, get showered, get to the police station but the rest of me was in shock. I knew I needed to go to the police station but beyond that I was having a hard time thinking. Thankfully my partner, who was an absolute Rock of Gibraltar of support, held me, told me that shock was natural, and that we would take the time we needed and the police would understand.

Of course, all I could think about was that I shouldn't be reacting like this. It wasn't like someone had died, or I had been told they had cancer or anything. It was just my car, the car I professed to simply tolerate, nothing more, and it had been stolen. In the grand scheme of things, not cancer or death.

But that didn't matter. I was in shock, I was grieving and in my world at that point, ands to my great surprise since I didn't think I cared for my car that much, I was grieving. I was angry. I was in shock.

Somehow we both got showered, made it to the police station where the two constables were beyond supportive and understanding and made completing the police report so much easier.

Somehow we found the car, its new ghost-like patina (courtesy of a very thorough police team who found finger prints) obscuring the mint green duco I remembered, pushed hard against a wall in a dingy hot alley way I would never have chosen to go down normally. I suddenly felt irrationally sad, upset, angry but all I could express was again shock.

It wasn't supposed to be here, not like this. I wasn't supposed to be spending my Saturday morning with blue police gloves on, pulling everything from inside the car to see if the thieves had left something in the car. I wasn't supposed to be watching where I leant lest finger print dust cover me all over.

And I certainly wasn't supposed to be trying to start my car, by leaning across from the passenger side, because the driver's side was hard up against a metal railing.

No, none of this was supposed to be happening but it was and here I was trying to take it all in.

The rest of the morning and much of the afternoon, save for a brief stop for lunch at South End cafe where my partner sensibly talked of almost everything but the car, were spent talking to a delightful customer rep from my insurance agency, and meeting up with a tow truck driver who was thoroughly professional and caring and friendly and who towed my car away, covered in dust, scratched and broken, to a holding yard in St Peters.

I may or may not see it again - that is up to the insurance assessor on Monday - and I suddenly realised I loved that car. Not just because it took me places, like I had stated so often to my friends in an attempt to make it clear just how much I barely tolerated any kind of car, not just my own, but because it made my life possible. True I didn't drive it as much these days but it was integral to so much of what I had done and been these last 14 years and suddenly it could possibly just disappear.

Just like that.

So I was angry.

And in shock.

It was not a good day.

The wonderful tow truck Abdul - he was brilliant.

Onto the truck.

My almost last shot of me with Fido, my car.

Goodbye my lovely car... hopefully not for the last time.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 6 (Friday 6 January) - Cupcakes for Tracy

2012-01-07T17:14:00.001+11:00

It was my coworker Tracy's birthday and I bought yummy vanilla and chocolate mini cupcakes for her.

We ate them and they were very good.

Just sayin'...

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 5 - Why does technology hate me so?

2012-01-05T14:19:00.002+11:00

I honestly don't why technology detests me so much.I have only ever loved and adored it.

I have an iMac. I have an iPhone. I use Twitter, Facebook, Linked in. I blog (obviously). In every way possible, I have declared passionate undying love to technology, ecstatic at the possibilities it has given me to express myself, to let my creativity run free.

Sadly it appears to be an unrequited love. For no matter how much I sing it's praises, utilise it's many assets, and wax lyrical about it's possibilities, it turns it's back on me, uncaring.

Now some may ask why I am investing sentience into what is after all just 0s and 1s programmed in impressive patterns. To which I would reply "What are you saying? Your computer will hear you!" Eavesdropping by your laptop aside however, I have been driven to this despair by events today. In one day Facebook and Google + have refused to find thumbnail images from blog posts I wanted to publicise by them, no small problem when this is one of the main facets of my job, followed swiftly by Tweetdeck, a third party application for Twitter now going belly-up (at least temporarily).

Now I know it's not personal really. Unless I possess powers I am not aware of, I doubt I have corrupted the code of any of these sites or applications, and it's highly likely that by tomorrow they will all be humming as if nothing happened.But though I try to be rational, and remind myself it's happened to many people besides myself, I can't help wondering why technology keeps refusing my impassioned advances.All I have ever done is love it. What more can it want?

Image by kata222ang

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 4 - Exercise ahoy!

2012-01-04T07:29:00.002+11:00

Back out walking this morning after increasingly feeling like a lump of lard and feeling so much better for it!

Yes I still love chocolate, especially its Christmas variants like chocolate sultanas and Lindor Balls, but I love feeling taut, trim and energised even more, and today I felt like I had my vim and vigour back.

Now to get back into swimming too...

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 3 (Tuesday 3 January) - First day back at work

2012-01-04T07:28:00.001+11:00

A busy day as you'd expect dealing with the backlog that somehow manages to create itself while everyone is on holidays! But my main concern was staying awake after four hours (thanks to heat interrupted sleep) which I accomplished with a mid-morning Coke, and a few Snakes lollies scattered throughout the day - not exactly the healthy eating start to the year I'd planned.

Oh, and my body questioned why this salad was slathered in chocolate after two weeks where chocolate featured at just about every meal...

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 2 - Happy Anniversary Baby!

2012-01-02T17:59:00.002+11:00

Today, while not technically our third anniversary, is a very special date to both of us since it's the day we had our first real date at Stir Crazy Thai in Erskineville. The date on 2 January 2009 was the best date ever, and confirmed to me that I had finally met my soul mate. my lover, my best friend, and so it has been. I love him and tonight was a perfect night of togetherness, first drinks at my place and then dinner at Sherpa Kitchen in Newtown.

I love colourful flowers and Gerberas are damn near perfect.

A card filled with the most beautiful (and private) sentiments.

My guy and I and the flowers.

They made it into a vase straight away.

I used the reindeer and Santa-shaped ice cubes I had neglected to use at our Christmas picnic. Behold dissolving reindeer head ice cubes in Vanilla Coke and vodka!

My Facebook check-in shot (my friends' responses are below)

We drank the wine Greg gave us for Christmas....beautiful!

Terai Beef and Chickpeak curry with roti - YUM!

One last shot of the Christmas tree all lit which I sent to my guy to tell how much I loved him before bed.

Swimming Pretty in the Glass-Half-Full 2012: Day 1 - Happy New Year world!

2012-01-01T12:34:00.001+11:00

Awesome NYE! The view was beyond magnificent, there was lots of room to roam (except at 9pm and midnight when the crowds descended briefly from the units above), I had my gorgeous guy close by on our third anniversary, and my friends there to celebrate the New Year with pizza, fireworks, lots of wine, and great conversation.

It is going to be a stellar year if this party is any indication!

Steve M, Essie and Essie's niece, Kayla

Peter, Ian and Steve M

Peter, Ian, me, Steve M, Fahmi

Fahmi

Pizza and champers Pats!

Steve and Waz had to endure crowds 10 deep on Blues Point Road to get our pre-ordered gourmet pizzas! Thanks guys! We shared the pizzas with my colleague Tracy and her lovely friends.

Peter and pizza

Waz eager to eat some pizza after going through a great deal to get them (they used a big blue IKEA bag to bring all eight of them back to Milsons Point)

Steve M and my gorgeous guy

The PERFECT anniversary shot. He is as handsome, sweet, and beautiful as ever.

Waiting for the fireworks!

My gorgeous guy and Ian

Essie, Kayla, Peter and Waz

Fahmi and Steve M (with Waz and Peter in the background)

Ian looking quite arty twirling his sparklers.

Here's video of the night:

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 365: It's the end of the year as we know it and I feel fine...

2011-12-31T18:03:00.000+11:00

I know it's a refrain so common it's cliche before the first person has thought to utter it but I cannot believe this year is over. It's like someone slipped January a heady 12 month cocktail of party drugs and it's been partying ever since right through the other 11 months like December 31 is a million years away.

Only it wasn't. It's now and it's arrived with such speed and ferocity I think I have whiplash and an astonishingly bad ability to remember what happened when. I do know that I changed jobs and that was very good, and that I had my guy permanently in Sydney for six months of the year which was beyond wonderful, especially as the relationship goes from strength to strength. I can recall week night dinners with good friends, countless great movies, albums and books, and the sheer joy of blogging about them all, and watching my other blog, SparklyPrettyBriiiight go from strength to creative strength.

And of course I know I inched closer to getting my book ready for publication after attending a course on Kindle publishing at my now employer, the Sydney Writers' Centre, a course which inspired me to pursue the things I love in life like writing. I plan to publish the book next year and make all my creative dreams come true. Well, mostly.

So on balance, workplace sociopaths aside (in my old job I hasten to add), it's been a Very Good Year, and it's given me an awesome foundation to build on for what I fully expect will be an amazing 2012.

Naturally, like any blogger worth my salt (or caramel cheesecake which let's face it is infinitely more precious) I have a list of things I want to do and so here's with as much fanfare, glitter, and overblown expectation as this gay boy can muster is my Top Ten 10 Things I Want to Do in 2012:

1. Yes the novel must be published, and it must be so successful Harry Potter will weep. No, seriously, getting published will do and everything after that is gravy (or cheesecake topping).

2. Get back to exercising properly. I know this is a hoary old chestnut, trotted out on New Year's Eve by everyone from the Queen of England to a villager in Nepal but I mean it and if you have seen my ferocious determination in action, you will know I will stick to it. Plus I feel so much better when I am active and I like how that feels.

3. Read more books. I love books I really do. But finding time to read between rushing to and from work, blogging, watching a million different TV shows and listening to music has been a challenge, one I can't shirk from any longer. After all, I now have a Kobo e-reader so I have physical and e-books mocking me inability to read them!

4. Get rid of the pointless stuff in my life that consumes air but produces nothing. Hopefully that will make way for important stuff like more time with guy, reading and yes, chilling.

5. Stress less. I know my natural state of being is worry first, relax second but I need to remember that few things are as fearsome in reality as they appear in my easily panicked mind.

6. Tidy my room and get everything organised. I know it's not necessarily a life or death issue but the more organised I am, the happier I am. I feel like I am (delusionally) in control of my existence.

7. Go back to Canada. I miss my friend Sandra most of all, but I also miss the warmth and friendliness of Canadians, Robson Street in Vancouver and salmon. I don't care if I have to live on gruel for muchof the year if it means time in that wonderful country.

8. Make my blogs as professional as they can be. Now I am working on professional blogs at work, I can see what's possible and I am hungry to make the blogs look as good as the writing, hopefully, is.

9. Think about eating cheesecakes, and not actually eat them anywhere near as much.

10. Go and see Coldplay in concert. Yes, the latest album is a tad disappointing but I still want to see them in concert. I mean they are fabulous and who wouldn't want to see them?!

So that's it people! It will be an amazing year and I can't wait to see what it holds. I don't think you have to be insanely optimistic to expect good things - just be excited that your world can get better. I know it will and it's a belief that is in evidence long before midnight.

Happy New Year everyone!

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 364 - Delayed gratification and the art of biding my time

2011-12-30T10:13:00.002+11:00

Another chilled day - brunch with Waz at South End cafe (the pea and haloumi pancakes of course) then I bought my new TV at JB Hi-Fi (thanks to the very friendly, helpful Robbie)! Well picked it out at least... they were out of stock so the actual purchase didn't take place till the Saturday...

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 363 (Thursday 29 December) - Lazy days of summer

2011-12-30T10:13:00.000+11:00

After a frantic, but delightful five days with our families, today was very much a chill day with the only major activity being brunch at Cafe Valente in Dulwich Hill.

So nice to just kick back...

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 362 (Wednesday 28 December) - Putt putting our way back to Sydney

2011-12-30T10:11:00.002+11:00

One last lovely day with my gorgeous family before we jumped on a plane - not literally of course; I have eaten too much over the last week to even contemplate doing that - so we headed out to Summerland House With No Steps for putt-putt golf (which Zara adores), lunch in the cafe and playing in the water park (well Zara and Chelsea anyway).

A perfect day and a lovely way to say goodbye to everyone before the flight later that afternoon...

My gorgeous guy is very good at putt-putt gold because he is patient and takes his time; unlike slapdash me!

Still I did manage to do a hole in 1 almost immediately and then my game went into free fall.

Zara loves putt-putt golf and loves to do everything herself.

She takes great care to get the ball into the hole but if it doesn't go in, or is too difficult, she simply picks it up, and puts it in the hole!

When you hit the ball into this one, the chicken clucked until the ball came out the other side.

Zara observing my guy's technique.

Maddy putting to par.

Martin riding the tractor that starts up but goes nowhere.

Another victorious hole for my guy.

Zara loved the tractor.

My darling mum with Bodhi.

Chelsea and Bodhi on the tractor.

My game magically improved at the final hole. Yay!

Lois, Helen and Zara at lunch.

Zara and Chelsea.

Nanna looks away while Bodhi plays with his Nanna's camera again.

A cute moment for my guy and Bodhi.

Everyone at the table.

Helen and Zara and wedges.

Bodhi eating the burger with gusto!

My brother Steve and Bodhi.

Martin and Lois with their kids, Maddy and Chelsea and Nanna,

The Gillmans with Nanna. (I love that Steve is so much a part of the family now!)

Zara never does anything slowly and runs with gusto into the water. No wonder she gets tired!

She loves standing in or on the water fountains.

Chelsea joined her for a play in the water park.

Running again!

In her towel cape - clever piece of clothing!

One last smile from Bodhi and we left for the airport.

Then we were back in Sydney, dinner with our friend Fahmi at Stir Crazy Thai and a walk back through Pleasant Street and their fabulous Christmas light displays.

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 361 (Tuesday 27 December) - Burgers with the cuz

2011-12-30T10:10:00.002+11:00

We started the day off with a brisk washing of my mum's car so it would be all spick and span for her drive to a wedding of a former colleague and close friend on the Gold Coast later that day. Thank goodness it wasn't too sunny or humid.

While we were finishing off the cleaning, my friend Sue arrived so we did the last shammy wipes, changed and headed out to a cafe in the Main Street of Alstonville for brunch. Alas, it was the ONLY cafe open in Alstonville so we had to drive out of town a whole two minutes to Amaze'n Place for food. It turned out to be an unplanned great choice as the breeze was beautiful, the food delicious (enough) and we had a lovely 1 1/2 hours before we had to get the car back so mum could leave for the wedding. It's always lovely to catch up with Sue, and I must hold to my promise to see her and nice new home in Melbourne the next time we're down.

Back to the Ancestral Estate for another cute shot of my adorable nephew Bodhi before we headed out to the supermarket to buy supplies for dinner that night. Bodhi loved the shopping at Coles in Alstonville Plaza, so much so he ate at least four of the mini-cupcakes and schmeered them across his face both in the trolley and on the coin-operated tractor ride. I haven't had so much fun grocery shopping in ages!

I got back in time to see Zara in the swing - she loves to "go big!" and encourages you to push as hard as you can so she can go as hard as she can - and captured some fantastic shots of her close up. It was so much fun watching her have so much fun!

Back inside, Bodhi finally opened his gifts from me and my gorgeous guy, and the train with air-assisted pop-up balls was a massive hit. Both Bodhi and Zara loved it. He also looked great in the clothes we bought him.

After a long, exhausting drive from Sydney, my cousin Lois, and her lovely husband, Martin, and kids (Madison and Chelsea) arrived and we prepared very yummy beef and chicken hamburgers (two types, not combined!) which mum arrived home in time to enjoy nice and hot. We had the loveliest night catching up with Lois and Martin and my second cousins, who despite being exhausted, were very sweet. So glad we got to see them!

Hands Full of Glitter and Tofu : 2011 Day 360 (Monday 26 December) - Boxing the day away

2011-12-30T10:09:00.000+11:00

Another busy day with my lovely family.

First up some putt putt practice for Bodhi and Zara using the Toy Story set Zara got the day before...

Then off for the real thing plus lots of animal gazing at and looking at the Macadamia Castle at Knockrow, always a popular choice for my niece and nephew who love the train rides, the baby chicks, the rabbit holding and all the other fun activities...

We left Zara and Bodhi to spend more time with the animals (and their mums) and headed off with my brother and his fiancee to look around the markets in Bangalow...

Then we had a delightful lunch, as always, at Twisted Sista cafe in Byron Bay where the food is always delicious and consistently great...

But was that it for the day? Of course not? We had much to do and so back to Alstonville to cook steaks, make salads, and celebrate the engagement of my beautiful brother Steve to the delightful Amie with guests Jodie (who Steve's ex-flat mate, very good friend and a lovely person to talk to) and Narissa and Justin. A great night...